Searching For Inspiration

Inspiration is pivotal to create truly brilliant art. And yes, I class writing as a form of art. A lot of people search for inspiration, which can work. In a sense, we should all search at all times. However, I cannot stress the importance of letting inspiration grasp you.

Often, we can shut ourselves off from inspiration. Or worse, we feel it but let it pass. A while ago, I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, and I had this song floating around my head. As I lay there, suddenly I knew the ending of a TV show that I’m writing. I just knew it in my core. It must have been 2 a.m. and I was shattered. But. I couldn’t just stay there and wait until the morning. Because, who knew if I’d know the ending in the morning? I rushed out of my bedroom, selfishly uncaring if I awoke my partner, and ran to my laptop.

It’s been a couple of months, and I still adore the ending I’ve written. I can feel that it’s right. And it might not have existed if I hadn’t moved with my inspiration. Perhaps it was the song. Perhaps, the lack of sleep. Whatever it was, it was a welcome relief, as I had been previously struck with writers block. It also made me realise that I had possibly been using my writers block as an excuse. It is incredibly hard to write while in the treacherous grip of writers block. Instead of this well of relief, creating becomes a pit of despair.

I stumbled upon a great article on jamesclear.com (http://jamesclear.com/stay-focused) that was about a weightlifting coach. He was asked what made champions? And the coach replied, “it comes down to who can handle the boredom of training every day and doing the same lifts over and over and over again.” And sometimes, that’s what creating is. On occasion, that’s what’s writing is like for me. Monotonous. A cycle of same.

Inspiration, and the pages that flow from it, are amazing to me. They capture a feeling. And that can be passed onto the readers, or viewers, or listeners. And I need to be open to inspiration more. I stare at my phone too much, unaware and uncaring of the world around me. A song can inspire. A look can inspire. A glimpse of scenery can inspire. Anything can inspire. But if you’re closed off to it, you’ll never find it.

However, there’s balance. And I need to also learn to write through the block. It hurts, and is an uphill struggle. Yet, even if I only write one page, opposed to the usual ten, it is one page I didn’t have before. Usually I don’t even use the page, I scarp it. But, it does, most times, inspire a new train of thought that can push my book forward. And that’s part of creating too.

I write to process my thoughts, so it’s possible there is no lesson here. If there is one, it’s an obvious one; writing with inspiration is great. But, maybe, writing without inspiration is greatness. Either way, keep writing.